Ceremonies

HINDUISM  OFFEINGS & CEREMONIES        

Good and evil ; right and left, gods and demons, are banded into two opposing factions, constantly at war, in which the weapons, are their compelling the people to propitiate both sides so as not to attracts the positive forces are they able to maintain the spiritual harmony of the community. This is particularly important at certain times, such as child birth, menstruation, death in the village, or when a crime that disturbs the magic balance of the village has been committed , circumstances that weaken and pollute the protective life power of the individual or of the village and render them vulnerable to the attacks of evil. The tangible gifts to the gods, the “banten” (offerings) like the present given to human beings, consist of fruits, cakes, rice, flowers, money, chickens, pigs, and so on, they are given in the same spirit as presents to the prince or the friend, in the sense of strengthening a request, they should he beautiful and well made. As for the devils, whom the Balinese treat which contempt, the offerings are generally a smelly mess. Of food which is disdainfully placed on the ground. The deities are served with the essence (sarl) of the offerings carried by the rising smoke of incense, Ordinarily, people take what is left, the edible part is teken home and eaten. Thus both gods and the donors enjoy the bang ret, Offerings to evil spirits are in themselves polluted and are left to the eaten by wandering hungry dogs, The devils receive sacrifices everyday (banten jotan), and more elaborate sacrifices on certain occasions and on special days ; every fifth (klion) and every fifteenth (kajeng kliwon) day of the lunar month, and so forth. They become particularly obnoxious, and on these special days the women of each household place, in front of their gates, trays of offerings, next to a burning coconut husk. Once a year, at the yearly cleansing ceremony  (melis or mekiyis).  Every community holds a general cleaning out of devils, driving them out of the village with magical curses, and rioting by the onetime populations, this is followed by a day of absolute still ness (nyepi) the suspension of all activity. It is believed that the lord of hall. Bhatara Yama, sweeps all devils out of the country in the melis day, and makes the whole of island purified. The Balinese also melis day, and makes the would of island purified. The Balinese also hold another great ceremony, the “galungan” when the a central spirits come down to earth again into the homes of their descendants. The ancestors supposedly arrive five days before the galungan day, receive many offerings, and go back to heaven after ten days, five days before “kuningan” the feast of all goals, when a Balinese speaks of his gods, collectively with (hyang widhi), however, as the closer to the people, they remain the first gods, the introduction of great ceremonies for cremation of the dead is easily correlated to their idea because the purpose of it is to consecrate the soul of a deceased in the family in order to release and convey the soul to the divine word where it will dwell as a family god, the conglomerate of traditions, beliefs, and philosophies that together constitute the Balinese religion is a complex force affecting the entire life of the country. It is at times assimilated with a sense of practical logic, at times is discursive and difficult to understand, but the result is a healthy and thoroughly Balinese manner of belief.